Gerald Lathbury

Gerald Lathbury (14 July 1906-16 May 1978) was a General of the British Army during World War II. Lathbury was best known for his command of the British 1st Parachute Brigade during Operation Market Garden in 1944, during which he was temporarily paralyzed and captured; he later escaped simply by walking right out of the hospital doors.

Biography
Gerald Lathbury was born in Murree, British Raj on 14 July 1906 to a military family, and he was commissioned into the British Army as a lieutenant in 1926 after attending RMC Sandhurrst. He served in West Africa before World War II, upon which he took command of the British 1st Parachute Brigade in North Africa. His brigade took part in Operation Husky (the invasion of Sicily) in 1943, and he was wounded during Operation Fustian, the capture of the Primosole Bridge. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his heroism there. Lathbury was still in command of the brigade in September 1944, when it was dispatched to take part in Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands. Lathbury was badly wounded and temporarily paralyzed, and he later left his hospital, joining other British soldiers with the help of the Dutch Resistance. These soldiers were rescued by the US 101st Airborne Division during Operation Pegasus.

After the war, Lathbury served in Mandatory Palestine, and he later rose to divisional command and served as commander-in-chief, East Africa from 1955-57, commander of the Eastern Command from 1960 to 1961, and Quartermaster-General to the Forces from 1961 to 1965. From 1965 to 1969, he served as Governor of Gibraltar, and he retired afterwards.